Soap cake and art of making same



Nov. 4, 1930. Rfs. BLAIR 1,780,330

soAPcAxE AND ART oF MAKING SAME Filed Feb. 25, `1923:

Patented Nov. 4, 1.930

UNITED STATES 'ROBERT S. BLAIR, OF STAIIIFOBD, CONNECTICUT SOAI CAKE AND .ART MAKING SAME Application led February 23,V 1923'. Serial No.620,633.A

This invention relates to soap, and with regard to its more specificfeatures to cakes of soap adapted for individual use. One of the obgectsthereof is to provide an individual cake of soap adapted for economicaland convenient use. Another object is to provide a soap cake of a sizeadapted for easy handling and comprising a small volume of soap.

.Another object is to provide such a soap cake which is practical andeiiicient and well adapted to serve in a highly satisfactory manner.

Another object is to provide means whereby cakes of soap of the abovecharacter may be conveniently made at low cost and with inexpensiveapparatus. Other obects will be in part obvious or in-part pointe outhereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction,combinations of elements, arrangements of parts and in the several stepsand relation and order of each of the same to one or more of the others,all as will be illustratively described herein, and the scope of theapplication of which will be indicated in the ollowino claims.

In the accompanying drawings in Vwhich are shown one or more of thevarious possible embodiments of the several mechanical features of thisinvention, y

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation of a soap mold or frame andapparatus associated therewith;

Figure 2 shows a sponge-like cake of soap;

Figure 3 shows the soap of Fig. 2 formed to oval shape;

Figure i shows a pair of dies adapted to receive a soap caketherebetween;

Figure 5 shows a finished cake oit ly cut away;

Figure 6 diagrammatically represents` a cylinder provided with a pistonadapted to 'force soap therefrom through a die;

Figure 7 shows a tube of soap after leaving the apparatus shown in Fig.6;

Figure 8 shows the soap of- Fig. 7 at a later stage of the process; and

Figure 9 is a plan of Fig. 8.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views of the 5u drawing.

soap vpart- As conducive to a clearer understanding of certain featuresof this invention, it may be here noted that in many places, such as,for example, in hotels and the like, small individual cakes of soap aresupplied for the use of guests and patrons. It is highly desirable fromthe standpoint of economy that only a. small amount of soap be employedin making these individual cakes. The result is that the soap cakes areexceedingly small and on account of their small size are handled andemployed with the greatest ditliculty and annoyance to the user. Theprovision of a cake of soap which contains only a relativelysmall-volume of soap suitable for individual use but which is ofsufficient size to be conveniently handled and used is one of thedominant aims of this invention.

Referring now to Fig.1 of the drawing, there is shown a vessel orcontainer 10, such as is commonly known in the soap-making art asa moldor frame. This frame may be of any desired structure and, for example,

as shown in the drawing, may comprise a rectangular receptacle havingremovable side walls 11 held in place by pins 12. In the commercial vmanufacture or certain soaps the oils or fat and alkali are mixed andheated in large boiling kettles. Upon completion of the reaction, thesoap is removed from the mixture in the kettles and after being purifiedand mixed with any further desired ingredients is run into large moldsor frames, such as that shown in the drawing, to harden therein. Uponhardening, the soap is removed from the mold and cut and formed intocakes of the desired size and shape.

The mold l() shown in Fig. 1 in the drawing is shown to contain the soap14; before it has hardened, the soap being, for example, in a thick,almost plastic, state. A tank 15 is provided in which is stored airunder pressure and from which extends a flexible conduit 16 adapted tobe inserted 1n the soap 14. As the soap 14 thickens in the mold 10, thecompressed air is led through the hose 16 to the lower portions of themass of soap and is permitted to bubble up therethrough, the soap beingstirred if desirable. The result of this action is to fill the soap witha mass of air bubbles of substantial size. In place of employingcompressed an as above described, the bubbles in the soap may be broughtabout by mixing the soap with suitable volatile material which uponvolatilization will ill the soap with a mass of bubbles. In thiscondition the soap is allowed to harden, after which it is removed fromthe mold 10 and cut up into cakes, for example, as shown in Fig. 2. Thiscake of soap is porous or cellular due to having hardened while fuil ofentrained bubbles of air, and the cells or pores are preferably ofsubstantial size and close together, only a thin wall of soapintervening between adjacent cells. It may here be noted that the termhard as used herein throughout is indicated to denote a substantialdegree of rigidity as distinguished from the `softness and plasticity ofpaste or cream soap and the like. The structure of the soap ispreferably similar to that of a rubber sponge, for example. In thismanner a soap cake of relatively large size is providedusing a nogreater volume of soap than would be required for a much smaller solidcake.

In Fig. 3 the soap cake of Fig. 2 is shown trimmed off to oval shape,the corners and edges having been removed by cutting or paring. Th'esecuttings may be again melted down and used over. In Fig. 4 there isshown a pair of dies shaped to receive the soap cake shown in Fig. 3.These dies may be made to form any suitable impression in the surface ofthe soap cake and are heated by electric or other suitable means. Thesponge-like cake of soap having been placed between the warm dies, thesurface thereof is 'softened by the heat, and upon the dies being urgedtogether the softened soap about -the porous openings Hows together,subst-antiallyA sealing the openings and forming a smooth, even surface.The heat is not sufficient to penetrate to the interior portions of thecake and cause the cells therein to collapse. In Fig. 5 there is shown asoap cake after leaving the heated dies of Fig. 4. The cake has theexterior appearance of a solid cake of soap, the outer surface beingsmooth and even, but the interior thereof is cellular and sponge-like.

Referring now to Fig. 6, there is shown a receptacle 15 preferably inthe form of a cylinder and provided with a piston 16 slidably fittedtherein. I n the end 17 of the cylinder 15 is formed an opening 18preferably of elliptical shape. The piston 16 is inserted from theopposite end `of the cylin der, and secured to its face is a rod ormandrel 19, the axis of which is directly in line with the center of theopening 18. This mandrel 19 is of elliptical cross section and the areaof its section is smaller than the area of the opening 18. In operationthe cylinder 15 receives soap which is preferably in a. thick, plasticstate. The piston 16 is then inserted within the cylinder and upon beingthrust along the cylinder forces the soap out through the opening 18,the mandrel 19 protruding through the opening 18 at the same time.- Thusthere is forced out or extruded through the opening 18 a hollow tube ofsoap of elliptical cross section, the thickness of the walls therefbeing equal to the difference in length of the corresponding radii ofthe elliptical cross sections of the mandrel 19 and the opening 18. Atube of soap after leaving the cylinder 15 is shown in Fig. 7.

Forming dies similar to those shown in Fig. 4 are now applied to thetube of soap shown in Fig. 7 at intervals successively along its lengthwhile the soap is still in a soft, yielding condition. In this mannerthere is formed a succession of hollow cakes of soap 2O joined by a thinweb of soap 21, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9. The opposing die membersenclose a space which is at its central portion of a transverse crosssection substantially equal to the transverse cross section of the tubeof soap, and thus in forming the hollow cakes there is little or notendency to collapse the tube of soap at the portion forming the centralpart of the cakes, and the end portions of the cakes are readily pressedtogether to shape the elliptical cake. The pressure of the opposing diemembers seals the converging walls of the soap cakes as shown at 22. Theformation of the soap cakes, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, from the tube ofsoap, shown in Fig. 7, may also be accomplished by passing the tube ofsoap between rolls having a series of recesses similar to those shown inthe dies of Fig. 4 formed in their opposing faces.

The web of soap 21 may now be trimmed off and melted down for furtheruse. are thus provided cakes of soap 20 of substantial size formed of asolid outer sheli. o? L with a hollow interior whereby only7 a rela`v itively small volume of soap is required for each cake. The cakes havethe exterior appearance of the ordinary cake of soap and are adapted forefficient service in a prac" manner. Furthermore, the process of iufacture is simple and practical.

It will thus be seen that there is herein provided an article and art ofmaking the same which embody the features of 'this invention and attainthe objects thereof and at the same time are well adapted to meet therequirements of practical use.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the mechanical features ofthe above invention and as the art herein described might be varied invarious parts, all without departing from the scope of the invention, itis to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in theaccompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

I claim as my invention:

1. A soap cake having an outer solid shell of soap and an innernon-solid soap filling of hard structure and extending throughout theinterior of said shell in sponge-like form and of such size as largelyto increase the size of the cake.

2. The herein described art Which consists in forming a non-solid soapmember, containing airin such amount as largely to increase its size,the proportion of enclosed air to solid soap being not substantiallyless than such proportion in a. rubber sponge and cornpressing the samewith its contained air between dies to bring it into a predeterminedform With a continuous outer surface.

3. The herein described'art which consists in forming a cake of soapcomprising a mass of air cellsof such substantial size as largely toincrease the size of the cake and comparable to those of a rubber songe, permitting the soap to harden, and orming the outer surfacethereof into an outer shell of solid soap.

4:. The herein described art which consists in introducing air into amass of soap in physically soft condition to form therein a mass of aircells of such substantial and readily perceptible size as largely toincrease the volume of the soap, permitting the soap to harden, andforming its surface into a substantially smooth shell.

'In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this16th day of February, 1923.

ROBERT S. BLAIR.

